It Could Happen Here The Brazilian Election Part 2: The Gravediggers of the Working Class
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Nov 2, 2022 The Brazilian election aftermath reveals a landscape shaped by imperialism and police power. Lula's rise, fueled by the 2000s commodity boom, masks a legacy of socio-economic dependency. The podcast explores the violent consequences of Brazil’s UN operations in Haiti and how those tactics returned home. With increasing police brutality and the financialization of labor, activists struggle against deepening precarity and repression. The hosts argue that to prevent a return to fascism, dismantling oppressive institutions is crucial.
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Export Structure Shapes Politics
- Brazil's export mix (sugar, coffee, iron, soy) reflects a plantation and extractive economy entrenched for centuries.
- That economic base creates political power structures hostile to sustained egalitarian reform.
Haiti Occupation Returned Troops Home
- Brazil led the UN stabilization mission in Haiti and Brazilian troops conducted brutal operations there.
- Veterans of that occupation later rose to powerful roles in Brazil's security apparatus.
Imperial Policing Seeded Domestic Repression
- UN/ Brazilian occupation tactics in Haiti exported a counterinsurgency culture that later influenced domestic repression.
- Generals who commanded in Haiti became ministers and security chiefs back in Brazil.